Cable television networks refer to communications networks that are used to transmit cable television signals and/or other information between one or more service providers and a plurality of subscribers, typically over coaxial and/or fiber optic cables. Most conventional cable television networks comprise hybrid fiber-coaxial networks. In these networks, fiber optic cables are typically used to carry signals from the headend facilities of the service provider to various distribution points, while coaxial cable may be used, for example, to carry the signals into neighborhoods and/or into individual homes, apartment complexes, businesses, hotels, condominiums, schools, government facilities and other subscriber premises.
Typically, the service provider is a cable television company that may have exclusive rights to offer cable television services in a particular geographic area. The service provider may broadcast a broad variety of cable television channels to subscribers over the cable television network. Most cable television service providers also offer other services such as, for example, broadband Internet service and digital telephone service. Thus, in many cases, a subscriber may receive cable television service, a broadband Internet connection, and Voice-over-Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) telephone service all through a single RF connection between the service provider and the subscriber premise. The cable television network may transmit both “downstream” signals (which are also sometimes referred to as “forward path” signals) from the headend facilities to the subscriber premises and “upstream” signals (which are also sometimes referred to as “reverse path”) from the individual subscriber premises back to the headend facilities. Typically, the downstream signals are transmitted in the 54-1002 MHz frequency band, and may include, for example, the different tiers of cable television channels, movies on demand, digital telephone and/or Internet service (the signals received by the subscriber), and other broadcast or point-to-point offerings. Typically, the upstream signals are transmitted in the 5-42 MHz frequency band and may include, for example, signals associated with digital telephone and/or Internet service (the signals transmitted by the subscriber) and ordering commands (i.e., for movies-on-demand and other services).
In many cases, significant attenuation may occur as signals are passed through the cable television network, and hence the power level of the RF signal that is received at subscriber premises may be on the order of 0-5 dBmV/channel, which may be insufficient to support the various services at an acceptable quality of service level. Accordingly, RF signal amplifiers may be provided at or near individual subscriber premises that are used to amplify the downstream RF signals received over the RF connections between the cable television network and the subscriber premises to a more useful level. These RF signals amplifier may also be configured to amplify the upstream RF signals that are transmitted from the subscriber premise to the cable television network.